diff --git a/route_guidance_ros/scripts/utilities.py b/route_guidance_ros/scripts/utilities.py
index 8ff7edbd8686917b336cdb9dcef6de79c8e63e0f..0802b5e43b7db97165fbddff7ce1e4b35920e81b 100644
--- a/route_guidance_ros/scripts/utilities.py
+++ b/route_guidance_ros/scripts/utilities.py
@@ -1,13 +1,22 @@
 import time
+import subprocess
 from subprocess import Popen
+import atexit
 
+def register_process_killer(process):
+    def kill_subprocess(pid):
+        subprocess.run(["kill", "-SIGKILL", str(pid)])
+        print("process {} was killed.".format(pid))
+    atexit.register(kill_subprocess, process.pid)
 
 class SubprocessWrapper(object):
     def __init__(self, command):
         self.process = Popen(command)
+        register_process_killer(self.process)
 
-    def __del__(self):
-        self.process.kill()
+    # It is not guaranteed that __del__() methods are called when the interpreter exits.
+    #  def __del__(self):
+        #  self.process.kill()
 
 
 class ComponentWrapper(SubprocessWrapper):